7am Thursday 11/8

We have had a busy couple of days, but very productive. We have had loss of power and water on and off while in Amuru, so I am a bit behind on sharing. The day before yesterday was a late, long day of training, and everyone agreed to meet at the Ultrasound room early yesterday. According to the itinerary, we were supposed to leave Locor Amuru Clinic at noon, but that didn’t happen. We all decided that we would take as much time as we needed to keep training Teddy and Jane and ended up leaving at 5pm. I had the opportunity to sit down with both women and talk with them about their progress, as well as some areas of improvement they needed to work on. What impressed me the most, was what a rapid improvement both women made after my first day of training and a morning of lectures. They also gave me some wonderful feedback about my teaching, which is always welcome and a relief when the feedback is positive! I’m so incredibly happy and fulfilled when I am teaching in this environment, but there is also a constant dialogue in my head “Are they getting this? Am I explaining it right? Could I be doing this better? How can I make this clearer?”. As usual, I never feel like I have enough time, and they always ask me for more time. The good news is that I am planning on returning next year for 3 months, which makes me happy and excited for what I may be able to accomplish in the future. Once we finished training, hugged everyone goodbye and loaded up the van, we were back on the road and headed towards Gulu town. Renny, the Data Man, had joined us in Amuru, and it was nice to have some time to get to know him better. He is a bright, eager young man, currently working on his master’s thesis. Not surprisingly, he is passionate and dedicated to a fault. He loves talking about the work he is doing, and he is an endless source of information about the areas we are working in and Uganda as a whole. Like the others, he also has a great sense of humor, which makes close quarters and group travel so much easier. After another delicious meal in Gulu town, we pulled into Pabbo Clinic late last night, cleaned out all our rooms (mine had been heavily inhabited by spiders), and settled in for the night. Heavy rains started late evening, along with a loss of electricity, but it is another beautiful morning. I’ve already hung a few washed items on the line, met a few neighbors (poultry and human), and we are starting to plan for the day. Picho, Renny and I will walk up the road to the market for fruit, Shallon is checking in with the Sonographers, and it’s another wonderful day in Uganda! Thank you all for helping me get here. 

Oxox MB